When I moved from Baltimore to Dallas, many people told me I’d have to buy a car in order to survive here. Taking a quick look at a map of DFW, I thought they were right. The metro sprawls in every direction. Much of the […]

The difference between roads and streets is often overlooked but important in creating livable cities. Listen to any Bruce Springsteen song and you’ll probably hear a reference to “the street”. This is often accompanied by stanzas about how he spent a summer building a ’72 Challenger […]

Donald Shoup, Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Urban Planning at UCLA, on parking: “Just because the driver doesn’t pay for parking doesn’t mean the cost goes away. A little bit of every daily transaction has a little bit shaved off to pay for […]

While researching various crosswalk treatments I came across a few research papers which questioned the common practice of using crosswalks as the sole safety treatment at unsignalized intersections. FHWA’s “Safety Effects of Marked vs. Unmarked Crosswalks at Uncontrolled Locations” stood out by taking a nuanced […]

As always, Clarence Eckerson Jr. comes through with another great video showing us what is possible with a little bit of imagination. It’s amazing how a street and neighborhood can be transformed just by shifting curb lines a few feet or narrowing traffic lanes to […]

An essay by Kasey Klimes which he kindly contributed to my blog. He is an urban data specialist at Gehl Architects. A few years ago I had the pleasure of attending a lecture by legendary designer Bruce Mau. I’ll spare the accolades – the long […]

I want to give a shout out to Spokane and their excellent North Monroe Corridor Project and website. Rarely do you see this much attention to detail given to making the case for a public project. People not familiar with basic concepts of complete streets […]

When I sold my car in 2010 and began my car free lifestyle while living in Baltimore, I expected a little cost savings, a little more physical activity and a couple interesting stories from the experience. Instead, I got a life changing reduction in expenses, […]

The Tissue of Straight Lines: a meditation on NYC’s grid street network from Kneeling Bus, one of the few blogs I read which leaves me saying, “I wish this guy wrote more articles.” The grid that originated in 1811 will never be finished as long […]

Cycling is often promoted as a neighborhood revitalization tool and sustainable transportation option, but it’s easy to forget that it’s a public health issue too. Every block of protected bike lane is a subtle yet important victory: Health improved through more physical activity. An automobile […]